A bird strike is being considered as a potential cause for the devastating helicopter crash in a major river that claimed the lives of a family of five and their pilot. Spanish tourists Agustin Escobar, CEO of Siemens Spain, and Merce Camprubi Montal, along with their three children, had arranged the helicopter ride in New York City to celebrate one of their children's eighth birthday.
The family and their 36 year old experienced pilot, Seankese Johnson, tragically died when the helicopter plummeted into the Hudson River around 3.17pm on April 10. As investigations into the catastrophe continue, it has been revealed that sightings of bird flocks near the crash site prior to the aircraft losing control are being examined.
During an update on Friday, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the New York City Police Department is "aware" of reports of a large flock of birds in the vicinity shortly before the accident and that it was "something we are looking into". She further added: "We are aware of those reports, we discussed it this morning.
"It's something we are looking into. What I would say to the public is that if something struck you as different or made you pause, or it crossed your mind that you might want to share with our investigators, there is no downside in sharing that information with us."
Witnesses reported seeing the helicopter's main rotor blade detach moments before it plummeted into the water "really hard" on Thursday. Ipsitaa Banigrhi, from Jersey City, described the noise of the failing helicopter as resembling "felt like thunder" and mentioned observing "black particles" scattered around the area, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to WCBS, she recounted her initial thoughts: "I heard, like, such a loud sound. It felt like thunder. And because it was raining today, it was just like, OK, maybe. And then I saw, like, black particles flying."
She continued: "Again, I thought maybe it's just like, dust, or birds, and then we heard all the emergency vehicles and sirens go by, and I think that's when it was like, OK, what's happening."
Lesly Camacho, an employee at a riverside restaurant in Hoboken, noticed the helicopter seemed to be spinning out of control, while another bystander mentioned its "blade flew off".
Avi Rakesh told NBC News about the incident: "I don't know what happened to the tail, but it just straight up dropped."
There had been prior warnings from experts that the chopper might have crashed due to the absence of a vital part known as a 'Jesus nut'.
Aviation expert Julian Bray has shed light on the possible cause behind a helicopter's plunge from the sky, suggesting a missing component could have led to the rotor detaching. Speaking to The Sun, Mr Bray explained: "What appears to have happened with this particular helicopter is that the rotor, the main rotor... had detached, because in one video we see the blades spinning away from the helicopter."
He continued by describing the incident's harrowing aftermath: "But this appears to have sliced through the back half of the helicopter, so the fuselage then drops like a stone into the river Hudson right opposite Pier 41."
Delving further into technical details, Bray highlighted the crucial safety measure that may have been overlooked: "There is a particular procedure which has to be checked every time it's serviced, and it's known as the Jesus Bolt... because without that the whole thing will fall apart. It looks as though it's [the] Jesus bolt or Jesus PIN. It's either defective or wasn't tightened up, or for some reason it sheared."
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